coming
noun
Coming — the plain, anticipated arrival of something long expected
Definition
Arrival that has been awaited (especially of something momentous); "the advent of the computer"
In depth
Coming, like advent, names an arrival that has been awaited, particularly something momentous, but the word is plainer and more accessible, the everyday English alternative to the more formal Latinate term. It carries the same sense of anticipation, simply expressed in the language's oldest, most ordinary vocabulary.
Origin
The word descends from Old English cuman, to come, one of the oldest and most essential verbs in the language. Its survival as a noun describing significant, anticipated arrival, as in 'the coming of the storm,' reflects English's persistent comfort with elevating its plainest verbs into weighty, even prophetic nouns when context demands gravity.
Usage examples
"The coming of spring, after such a hard winter, felt like a small miracle to everyone in the village."
"They had long predicted the coming of automation, though few anticipated how quickly it would arrive."
"Her coming of age was marked, in their family, by a single quiet ceremony rather than any public celebration."
How to use it
Coming suits plain, accessible prose across nearly every register, and the phrase 'coming of age' has become a fixed idiom describing the transition into adulthood, useful in both literal biographical writing and as a genre descriptor in literary criticism.
Related concepts
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